Drapery Study for "Battledore" (recto); Two Women (verso)
Albert Joseph Moore British
Not on view
This sensitive study of artfully arranged semi-translucent drapery hanging over a line relates to Moore's painting "Battledore" (1868–70, Minneapolis Institute of Art). In the latter, a similar cloth forms a backdrop for a young woman dressed in classical robes as she holds a racket ahd shuttlecock (battledore is an old name for badminton). The artist was a leader of the Aesthetic Movement whose proponents believed subject matter to be less important than beautifully arranged forms and harmonious colors. When preparing a composition, Moore made studies of figures, draperies and details which reveal how his ideas developed. His choice of rough brown paper to serve a support for studies was taken up by James McNeill Whistler who used it for pastel drawings.
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